Today I have the pleasure in featuring The Great British Wedding – a one-stop shop for everything a couple needs for their big day. The website boasts a supplier directory, venue directory, comprehensive wedding fair list, a store and a stationery marketplace.

I asked Alex from the Great British Wedding what advice they would give to a couple planning their wedding. “The thing to remember when planning your big day, is that it is all about you as a couple. It isn’t about doing things that you think ‘should’ be done, or wearing something that makes you uncomfortable because you feel you should – it should be about what matters to you. If you feel strongly about the environment for example, perhaps choose recycled books to make your flowers; or if you really love superheroes how about theming your day around them (although maybe asking your guests to dress up is pushing it a BIT far…). Make your day unique by finding special finishing touches and fitting it around your personalities – not the other way around.

Above all relax – yes it is only one day, but it is YOUR day – you should not feel like you are out to please others, or feel bad about how much you have spent (or didn’t spend). Yes, make sure your guests are comfortable, but remember the main attraction for them is watching two people they love tying the knot… not the firework finale. Although if YOU want fireworks……”

Today I have the pleasure in featuring Fantastic Fireworks on the blog. If you are looking for fireworks for your wedding, check out the amazing heart shaped fireworks. Fantastic Fireworks also offer choreographed displays to your favourite song. I also love their idea of a ‘Bang in a Box’ for those on a budget!

I asked Laura Whitley from Fantastic Fireworks what advice she would give to anyone looking to have fireworks at their wedding. “The first thing I would love to say when you’re planning a firework display is a quote from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ‘DON’T PANIC!’. There are a few things you need to think about but once you’ve covered these then the process is relatively simple.”

Is there enough space?

So this is a bit of an obvious one, but did you know that safety distances for some professional fireworks can be over 50m? That means you may need 50m between your guests and the fireworks, and space behind for a fallout area. This is not as scary as it sounds, it’s just the area that the fireworks are fired into and where the debris falls into. Now 50m sounds like a lot, but don’t worry, if you have less space at your venue we can tailor the show to avoid using fireworks that need larger distances. You can still have a great show with smaller distances, we just need to be clever about how it’s designed. If you’re not sure of the space the best thing to do is put us in contact with the venue and we’ll liaise for you. Venues tend to have certain areas that they set aside as regular firing areas and if not we can work with them to find the best site. Of course if you have lots of space we have free reign over what we can offer you. We love large empty fields which gives us a lot of scope to be creative!

Will it be too noisy for my venues restrictions?

There’s no denying that part of the charm of a traditional firework display is the loud bangs, pops and crackles that are produced. However, it’s completely understandable that your venue’s neighbours may get a bit wound up about this if it’s happening every night and keeping them awake. We’ve developed a great ‘quiet range’. Now these are just normal fireworks with the bangs, pops and crackles minimised or removed. After all, many of these effects are added in so it’s easy to remove them! This range is ideal for the noise conscious venue or if you simply do not want to cause a racket! We love firing to music, so setting our ‘quiet range’ to your favourite song may result in your guests not even noticing the lack of noisy explosions!

Do I have the budget?

Fireworks can sometimes be viewed as an extra to a wedding for those with a decent budget. However, fireworks are for everyone and we can offer packages to suit any budget. If you’d like us to design your show, liaise with your venue and turn up on the day and fire it for you, our packages start at £1000, they tend to go up in price with the length of the display and the amount of firing positions you’d like. If you phone us up we’d be happy to discuss this further. We specialise in setting displays to music so if you would like to set the fireworks to your favourite song we can design this for you.

We know that not everyone has money spare, but would still like a display, so we’ve introduced our new ‘bang in a box’. This is a two and a half minute fireworks display with lots of different effects neatly contained in one box approximately the size of a small freezer. The best thing about the ‘bang in a box’ is that it has a single point of ignition. Your best man or maid of honour only has to light one fuse, which is much safer than firing many small fireworks. If you would like more information about single ignition fireworks then our retail department will be happy to help out.

Aren’t fireworks really messy?

Not particularly, but dependent on the type of firework. We are working towards making as much of our firework packaging eco friendly, and as such the main components of our firework packaging are paper, card and cotton wool. What tends to be ejected from the fireworks are cardboard tubes and cotton wool bungs, plus a little plastic from our waterproofing. We always litter pick and all our teams come well equipped with rakes and brooms and love nothing more than having a good clean up at the end of the night! Of course if your venue is really worried about mess it might be worth putting them in touch with us.

I hope that’s answered some questions and given you some food for thought. The big thing to remember is that if you would like to book a display with us we can take care of everything. All you need to do is tell us the date, venue and how much you’d like to spend. Plus any creative ideas you may have for the display. Want to fire to ‘your song’, we can do that. Want it to be a surprise for your spouse? We can do that too! We also include 100 sparklers with every wedding package so your guests can get in on the action too. Check our website out for more ideas and prices.

Today I have the pleasure in introducing an amazing new bridal shoe designer, Charlotte Mills. Her first collection has just launched and I’m sure you will join me in drooling over her gorgeous designs.

Love hearts are the inspiration for Charlotte’s debut collection which are all handmade in Spain. Her shoes are made to the highest quality using a range of laser cutting, applique and embroidery to create unique styles. I love the fact that each shoe is hand finished with a silver sixpence and the leather sole is embossed with the phrase “Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”

I asked Charlotte what advice she would give to anyone when choosing shoes for their big day. Her advice is “When choosing your wedding shoes go with your heart – even if you think you can’t see your shoes under your dress, you will still get glimpses of them throughout the day. Get your photographer to include them in shots and let them be a talking point and not fade into the background. You should fall in LOVE with your wedding shoes and want to wear them again and again. Each time you put them on after your big day, the memories will come flooding back. Go for a style which has longevity and can be worn again. Choose a similar heel height to what you normally wear and give them a test run around the house to break them in.”

At the moment ‘Prenups’ are not legally binding in the UK. But this may all change as ministers are due to discuss the shake-up of divorce laws after a proposal is issued by the Law Commission later this month. The proposals are likely to suggest that a judge ‘considers’ pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and separation agreements when couples are divorcing. But with the average cost of drawing up a prenup being £750, would many couples be likely to add that into the cost of their wedding? Do you think a prenup undermines a marriage and trust?

Personally I think it’s a sensible thing for you both to do as a couple. It protects both of you for the future and I look at it more of an insurance policy rather than a lack of trust. No one wants to think that their marriage isn’t going to last, but you can’t argue with statistics. You only have about a 5% chance of being burgled, but you still have home insurance to protect you in case it happens and if you add up your premiums over the years I bet it comes to more than £750. Yet about 42% of marriages end in divorce, so why would you not protect yourself with a prenup? Surly £750 is a small price to pay to make sure everything is settled fairly if the worse was to happen.

I think you are a lot more rational at the start of a relationship and are more likely to come to a fair agreement when deciding on a prenup than you are during a divorce. When you are in love, you want your partner to be happy. You are more likely to make balanced judgments when it comes to division of assets and what would happen with access to any children you might have. During a divorce, bitterness can creep in and you don’t want your ex to have anything from the house and children can be used as a weapon to hurt the other person. You can spend a small fortune on solicitors as you fight over the smallest things and the stress can be immense. By having a prenup in place, it could save you a lot of time, money and aggravation in the long run.

So, would you sign a prenup??? You’re going to be married forever, so what do you have to lose???

This is my guide to where I think it would be amazing to get married in Las Vegas. There are so many brilliant venues that cater for all different budgets and styles of wedding, that it would be impossible to mention them all. I have fallen in love with Las Vegas during my visits and it is my mission to visit every single venue it has to offer.

First on my list is the Bellagio. With it’s iconic fountains and stunning Terraazza, this is an elegant and sophisticated venue. They have 2 different wedding chapels, the Terrazza and Courtyard to choose for your wedding ceremony and numerous packages for each venue. If you want five star treatment, the Bellagio is perfect for you.

Next on my list is The Chapel in the Clouds at the Stratosphere. Imagine the biggest day of your lives taking place 1149 feet in the air, among the clouds. You can choose from 2 different chapels, the Observation Deck or the private balcony on Level 112. If you want Las Vegas as the backdrop for your wedding photographs, you can’t beat the Chapel in the Clouds.

The Chapel of the Flowers is one of the most popular wedding chapels in the whole of Vegas. I personally know more than 10 couples who have been married here and they all rave about it! You can choose from indoor and outdoor weddings and can be picked up in a white limo!

The Venetian is my personal favourite. They have so many options it makes it nearly impossible to choose! You can be married in front of a waterfall, on the rooftop terrace, in one of their beautiful chapels or even on a gondola! No matter where you choose, you are guaranteed to have stunning photographs.

The Wynn is a very close second. I can personally say the food at this hotel is delicious and the staff were amazing. Aside from their chapels, you can also be married in the Zen Spa, the Lake of Dreams or next to a 90 foot waterfall in the lagoon!

Where is more iconic than being married under the Las Vegas sign??? And thanks to the Las Vegas Wedding Waggon, you can do it! Las Vegas Wedding Wagon is a mobile service, just choose your location, date, time and ceremony on their online booking system and they will meet you there!

For the full Vegas wedding experience, book the Graceland Wedding Chapel. Join the list of people to be married here and you will be maxing with the likes of Bon Jovi and Billy Ray Cyrus. Have Elvis walk you down the aisle, conduct the ceremony or serenade you, whatever you choose it will be ‘Always on My Mind’!!!!